Black Streaks
by Axletia Rosonetis
Summary: Misty and Lily learn to appreciate each other as sisters when Lily starts falling through the cracks. Oneshot. Rated M for language and sexual references.


Black Streaks

_All right, after almost two months Axy's finally posting new material, yay ! I've been working on this son of a batch of cookies for almost two months now, too, and I just finished it on Friday, so I'm so happy. ^.^ Now that I'm in high school I'm trying to improve my fanfics tenfold, and this one has a lot more detail than what I usually produce, with over four thousand words. So, no matter what people think of this, I'm proud of my work. :D After all, it involves Misty's family, which isn't exploited too often. x3 Originally it was going to be more of a humorous fic, but about halfway through writing it I knew that _that_ plan was shot to shit, if you'll pardon my language. xD So, without further ado, I'll cut the magical ribbon for the ladies and gents who read this open and stop my rambling. Hopefully it's somewhat in-character...and if not, I apologize. I know I kinda fucked up the ending by rushing it. XD  
_

* * *

A flash of orange and yellow could be seen pedaling a tomboyish bicycle across the water-biased city of Cerulean. Two plastic bags were hanging from the back of the bike, making rustling sounds as they moved in sync. The wind also added to the noise, blowing happily from north to east at a fast pace, much to the peddler's annoyance. She was already racing against the clock, and now there was wind, and a lot of it. _Only Arceus would mess with Misty Waterflower on a day like this,_ she thought to herself as she made an abrupt stop into a driveway.

Gravel flew into Misty's sneakers, but she was ignorant to the pesty, little rocks. Dragging the bicycle into the garage, she pulled the bags from the bike and flung them over her shoulder. They felt slimy, drenched with condensation from some form of moisture, promptly making Misty hastily let go of her bicycle. It fell sideways, "magically" tangling the strings of Misty's sneakers with the spokes of the wheels.

" Shit, " she growled under her breath.

She stopped for a second or two to gently place the bags on a wooden shelf and untangle her shoelaces, quickly tying her sneakers afterwards. The bicycle was allowed to fall all the way to the corner, limp and raggedy from overuse. The bags were swiftly picked up once again and flung over the shoulders as Misty raced for the door that pretty much connected the outside and inside worlds besides the entrance to the garage. It was now or never, the clock practically cackling at her from sheer enjoyment.

A bony hand lunged out for the doorknob, trying to pull the door open with no success. The door was obviously locked for whatever reason, hopefully for the reasons that Misty wanted it to be and not what she dreaded it to be. She grumbled again under her breath, hand now retreating to her short's pockets for they keys that would allow her to step inside of the house. Good thing she had a lot of experience as a latch-key kid. The latch-key kids usually had no time for themselves and all of the time in the world for others.

_Cling._ Keys dangling on a bronze ring slipped over her fingers as she poked the correct one into its hole. The lock turned happily, and with a simple push, Misty stumbled into the kitchen, the bag almost falling forward.

Other than the humming of the nearest television, there was silence in the house. Misty kicked off her sneakers and slid into the spacious living room, falling to her knees at last, the bags safely tucked within her arms. " Okay. I got everything, " she panted, her face turning red. " Tuna sandwich on toasted wheat bread, one pastrami with sliced Swiss cheese and juicy tomato slices, and a veggie burger smothered with these...uh, special sauces. "

" Hey, Misty. Um, listen. Daisy and Violet went out to eat. Sorry, hon, forgot to tell you. "

Lily was sprawled over the couch watching some drama on MTV. Locks of long, magenta hair dangled lazily at the side, the fragrance of sweet shampoo coming from them. Batting her eyelashes, she stared innocently at her sister, whose cheeks were flaring up fast. " I'll take that pastrami off your hands, though. No need to waste good meat. "

" Lily, you bitch ! "

" _Lily, you bitch !_ Lily mocked, flapping her hand to mimic Misty's mouth. She rolled her eyes, snatching the pastrami sandwich away from her sister. " Honestly, Misty, don't you ever realize how you _sound_ when you insult people ? It's like a sick Farfetch'd trying to quack but it has that nasally tone ! " She bit into her sandwich, sending crumbs into her faded tanktop. A finger popped up and wagged inches from Misty's face. " 'Quack-quack,' says the loser. Now lemme eat my sandwich in peace. "

She skipped past Misty and up the stairs, the sandwich with a medium-sized bite mark in it still in hand. A few seconds later, a door could be heard being slammed, probably the door to Lily's room, or perhaps one of the bathrooms so a certain someone could fawn upon the wicker basket's latest issue of Entertainment Weekly with privacy.

All Misty could do, however, was to scream and drop the plastic bags on the floor with a light THUD.

* * *

" I dunno _what's _been up Lily's butt lately. I mean, we *told* her to tell you before you stepped out and run across the city for a couple of sandwiches, but I guess if she wants to be a total bitch about it, no one could really help it. "

" Those sandwiches _are_ good, though. The special sauces are fab. "

Daisy glared at Violet, promptly shutting up the bluenette beauty, before turning her gaze back on Misty. The three sisters were huddled around one of the tables in the kitchen, the moon already creeping out into the spotlight. Lily was still in the unknown room doing whatever, but now a form of some type of heavy metal music blasted throughout the second floor's hallway. It was nerve-wrecking, and no one wanted to even venture up the stairs.

" Anyway, " Daisy resumed, furrowing her eyebrows. " Lily _has_ been acting weird lately. Like today. All I asked was if she could do my nails. The paint was starting to chip. And she _slammed_ the door right in my face ! Total shocker. She's always done my nails. It's like a pact between is, and she totally ruined it ! "

She rested her head on Violet's shoulder and sniffled softly. Misty rolled her eyes at the sight. Painting nails ? That was supposed to be a task that any single person could do on his or her own, right ? Still, if Lily could be as rude as to slam the door one one of her sisters' faces, then maybe it was more of a serious problem than any of them would've thought.

Violet wrapped her arm around the eldest sister's back. Daisy obviously appreciated the warm gesture, as she wiped her face clear of tears and possibly snot. Her attention focused back on Misty, who was starting to crawl back into the depths of her mind. " Now, Misty, don't try to plot revenge like that piggy guy from that one poet. "

" Hamlet from Shakespeare ? "

" Sounds right, hon. You know how I feel about poetry from old, dead guys, ugh. " Daisy sighed. " That's not the point I wanna make, though. The Waterflower family - which includes all of us, not just the Sensational Sisters - does not mess with revenge. It's too messy. So, Misty, pinky-promise your big sis that you're not going to hit Lills with your mallet or anything like that, 'kay ? "

" Daisy- "

" Pinky-promise or no dice. "

" Fine..."

Misty reluctantly brought out her hand and stuck out her pinky. Daisy happily wrapped her own pinky around her sister's. She giggled gently, shaking both hands once in a friendly agreement. " Heh. Even though you look like a fugly tomboy and you'll never be sensational by our standards, you're still a pretty awesome sister. " Soft laughter came from the blonde. " Correction - _very_ awesome. "

" Er...thanks, Daisy. "

" No prob, sweetie. "

All three of the girls started to burst out in laughter. Violet walked towards her sisters and joined in the embrace. There was mutual love within the group, but it still didn't comfort the youngest sister. Usually when they were involved with a mushy moment, Lily would sense it and race down the stairs, giggling. It just didn't make sense, her behavior.

* * *

In the midst of the night, sometime between eleven and twelve, Misty woke up with a startle. There was a creaking noise as a pair of muffled steps descended down what sounded to be the stairs, followed by the slamming of one of the doors. It could've just been the wind, but Misty knew better than to think with that kind of attitude. Robberies had struck the Waterflower residence before, with breaking in and out and whatnot, and once Tracey had even broken in to have a "friendly" encounter with Daisy. Not a pretty good record.

She placed a sweatshirt over the tanktop she was sleeping in and raced down the stairs, hoping to catch the intruder. Last time it had taken several minutes to trace the robber's path. This time it would be easy. The door leading to the garage was unlocked. Misty smirked to herself. Grand theft auto hadn't been accomplished yet. Someone had strong guts, but nevertheless he or she _would_ be caught.

With a slight push, Misty flung the door open and stepped inside the garage. A small cloud of smoke greeted her, causing her to cough.

_(Cigarette smoke ?_)

Misty shook her head, hoping that wasn't the case. Someone was standing right next to the sportscar. Ripped jean shorts, black tank top with spaghetti straps, a ratty tote bag slung over one shoulder, this person certainly fitted the thug image, all right. And there were black streaks running through the hair. The typical punk.

She crept slowly, quickly grabbing for one of the flashlights. Her eyebrows furrowed, and as the person was ready to slide into the driver's seat of the car, the flashlight shone with dim brilliance. " Hold it right there ! " she growled, creeping closer towards the stranger. " No one's going anywhere until I get an answer, and not one of those con-artist responses, either ! You spit out the truth right now ! "

The person pausesd, leaning on the car door, before deciding to turn around reluctantly. Misty gasped with utter astonishment. " Lily ?! "

" Yeah, squirt, it's me. Keep your voice down. "

For a few seconds, Misty complied with her older sister's request, but then furrowed her eyebrows again in anger as the realization hit that Lily was the one who disturbed her precious slumber. " What are you doing up this late fooling around ?! Don't you know that others live here ?! " And then with a clunk, another realization hit Misty right between her eyeballs...or rather, her nostrils. " And what's with the _cigarette_ ?! You know that all of us are against smoking ! It hurts those organs and gives you less of a life, not to mention- "

" Will you shut up ?! " Lily let out a puff of smoke and flicked the cigarette on the ground, smashing the remnants with her foot. She glared at Misty coldly, furiously, and opened the car door again, throwing the tote bag in the passenger's seat. " Look, what I do with my life is none of your business ! I don't interfere when you're having those R-rated dreams about Ash ! " she snapped. Misty's cheeks flushed at the mention of the boy. Sex dreams ? Absolutely not !

" Anyway, if I smoke, I smoke, and if I dye my hair, I dye my hair, and if I want to get out at eleven-thirty at night looking like a thug-a-lug, then that's *my* business ! " Lily contiuned, waving a hand. " Now, go back to having those dirty dreams of yours. I gotta fly. "

She slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Before she could close the car door, however, Misty reached her arm through and wrapped a fist around the keys, tightening her grip. " No freakin' way ! " Misty growled, almost dangling over Lily's lap. " I'm not letting you out of my sight when you're obviously up to something ! "

" Fine, " Lily said coolly, looking straight at the back of Misty's head. " You can come right along with me. "

" Huh ? "

With a fierce tug, Lily pulled Misty all the way into the car and practically threw the girl in the passenger seat on top of the tote bag. She changed gears and took ahold of the steering wheel, ignoring all of her younger sister's protests. " Hold on, we're in for a happy ride ! " she cackled.

" Wha-_YEAAAAAAAA ! "

* * *

_

The sportscar bounced up and down the streets of Cerulean at a whopping seventy-five miles per hour, and still accelerating. Moonlight flashed on the side windows, trying to keep up with the pace but failing. Traffic was practically a ghost, and not even the police would be able to catch up with the two Waterflower sisters. _Arceus only knew if we would actually _survive_, though,_ Misty thought bitterly as she slid around in the flimsy seat belt. She didn't know what happened to Lily's personality, but the carefree attitude and total disregard for others' safety remained. _At this rate she'll be driving us through and beyond Mount Olympceus. How lovely. Professor Oak would be so jealou-_

_" STOP SIGN ! _" Misty suddenly blurted out, face flaming with scarlet blush.

Abruptly the car skidded to a stop, turning at a 90-degree angle to face a random fire hydrant. Lily grinned with a distorted sense of satisfaction, and Misty groaned. This had to be the third time - no, scratch that, _fourth_ - that she had saved them from a possible doom. The last time Lily had almost crashed into the side of an SUV as she made a left turn. Only one of the drivers were pleased with the result, and it sure wasn't Mr. SUV.

Soon Lily drove into an alley just beyond City Hall. Misty winced, knowing this wasn't the best place to drive through at night. Even the wildest of pokemon wouldn't dare to venture in this section of the city. Too many gunshots, too much pollution, not enough hiding places. Like a mini-Saffron.

" Lily, where the hell are you taking us ? " Misty hissed. " Are you trying to get us robbed or something ? "

" Hush, kiddo. " Lily placed a finger to her lips as she made another turn, making the wheels squeal.

Misty hushed. The vehicle went down an even darker street before stopping at a dilapidated building. Bricks were piled up to one side, rotting with green stuff and age. Trash cans and their surrounding areas were littered with miscellaneous items, cigarette butts, and the remnants of beer cans and broken vodka bottles. Beyond the entrance of the building, was a door riddled with chalk and marker, came out a pale green smoke. It dawned on Misty that she was in a bad situation just as Lily came out of the car and was walking towards the entrance. " Make sure you bring my tote with ya ! "she called over her shoulder, standing by the door.

With a heavy sigh, Misty nodded as she stepped out of the car, heaving the tote bag out with her in the process. As she shut the car door, there was a small voice in her head, hoping nastily that their transportation would be stolen out of a tasteful spite. It wouldn't be too hard, especially in this part of Cerulean. Someone might be leaving shattered glass as remains for an Officer Jenny to discover, but it'd be a possible crime.

" C'mon, toots ! Let's go with the tote ! "

" Don't call me toots ! " Misty snapped, swinging the tote bag back and forth. She practically waddled to the door, meeting Lily's eyes with a steely glare.

The older girl didn't bother to retort, merely smirking as she pulled the tote bag back into her grasp and slung it over the shoulder once more. She turned back to the door and opened it, entering the building.

Misty followed, instantly regretting her decision to have come with Lily in the first place. Inside, the smoke was thick in the air, spreading throughout the room. Men in a variety of appearances were crowded around tables, with women clinging to their ties, shirt collars, and belt buckles. The women were dressed in skimpy tank-tops, short skirts, long jackets....exactly the perverted dress style that Misty was against. Arceus only knew what _they_ were up to, those women.

Meanwhile, Lily decided to pass the tables, instead going for the option of heading towards a dark corridor. Misty trudged along, seeing broken bits of rubber that were distinctly not from rubber bands. She blanched, carefully making sure not to step on any of them. Doctors always claimed that a person couldn't get an STD from merely touching, but she wasn't going to take any chances. New diseases seem to be popping up in the world all the time. AIDS wasn't even a half a century old yet, and this building looked like the perfect breeding place.

She could still see the tote bag dangling from the shoulder, looking like it was almost grinning at her. Lily made a left turn, with Misty quickly following suit. More men were seated at tables, only this time long, metal poles were attached on top of them. A few of the men stared at Misty, giving lustful looks and graphic hand gestures to an imaginary pair of butt cheeks. One man even tried the hand gesture on the young girl without much success, thanks to the faithful, old mallet.

" Keep your hands in your pockets, ya damn pervert ! " she snapped, waving the mallet threateningly at the group.

Most of them snickered and smirked. One or two of the men continued to stare, eyes drifting towards the ground but not quite reaching it. Misty grimaced as she entered a room that Lily had just went into previously. It was dark, with two mere light bulbs giving light with their dimness. There was one long table in the middle of the room, crowded with a swarm of the illegitimate scumbags and businessmen. One of the men wore a thick beard, and this was the man whom Lily embraced with open arms. " Hi, Scott, " she murmured huskily.

The man named Scott mumbled something and engaged a conversation with her. Misty wrinkled her nose in disgust, causing a few members of the swarm to stare at her. Someone picked up a half-filled can of something and waved it at Misty, letting the liquid slosh around in the can. " Beer ? " the man offered.

" Yeah...no, thanks. "

" C'mon, little girl, liven up and join the party ! " A redhead with stringy hair flicked ashes across the table, grinning like a lunatic at the mess she had made. She took the beer from the man and took a long, hearty gulp. " Girl's only gotta live once ! How old are you, toots, twenty-five ? "

An expression of utmost horror took over Misty's face, and her cheeks flared like the blazing sun. Turning away from the bumbling idiots without speaking a single word, her eyes searched for a clock that was quickly found. Almost one o' clock in the morning, way past any normal person's normal bedtime. By now Misty would've been slobbering all over her pillow, and instead she was spending a night on the wrong side of the tracks sistersitting. Arceus couldn't have heaved a heavier duty on her shoulders.

Scowling, her gaze turned back to Lily and Scott, but the conversation was getting ugly. She could see Lily's cheeks pale and eyes widening as she clutched the tote bag close to her chest. " I promise, promise, _promise_ you I'll pay you back tomorrow, Scott, pinkie swears ! "

" Promised me that last week, " Scott replied coldly, placing his hands in deep pants pocket. " You're at the end of the rope, Waterflower. Time to pay what you owe. "

Lily cringed, looking as though she was searching for a response, but before Misty could hear anything, she was pulled forward by her sister. " Mist, quick, I need two hundred dollars _pronto,_ " she whispered frantically, cupping her hand over Misty's ear. " I'll pay you back. "

Misty's eyebrows furrowed. Across from them Scott was tapping his foot impatiently mouthing something along the lines of, 'I'm waiting.' " You crazy ? I don't have that kind of money ! I'm a gym leader, not an ATM machine - we've already discussed this. "

" Well, how much you got ? "

" Zero dollars and zero cents, " Misty replied bluntly, crossing her arms. She was barely dressed in normal clothing, and no one would think to bring any money in the middle of the night. Unless it was one of the people in this building. " Would you prefer a check ? There's zero dollars and zero cents in there, too. Standard rates may not apply. "

" There's no time for your stupid jokes, Misty ! "

" Ah, but I never said that I was joking. I'm broke. "

" Nnn, fine. Guess we'll have to bail. "

" Wha- ? "

The pink-haired woman pulled Misty forward again and started to run away from the scene of the crime. Misty heard bellowing and shouting forming closely behind her listening range. Whatever Lily did to piss these people off, it wasn't very pretty. Besides running away from them, of course.

They raced out the way they came in, causing even more commotion by men and women alike. Lily shoved both Misty and the tote bag into the car before climbing in herself, slamming the door behind her. It was surprising that the sportscar had remained in that spot without a scratch, but there was no time to think about that at the moment. Men with violent looks on their faces spat out from the building like water coming out from a Wailmer, holding guns and pocketknives. With a small squeal, Lily quickly pulled out in reverse and drove off into the pitch-black darkness. Company quickly arose, however, and soon a sleek navy blue car started to follow closely.

Lily banged on the horn angrily and groaned. Misty turned to look at her, but the older Waterflower shook her head. " Yeah, I'm in a lotta deep shit right now, " she muttered, twirling a lock of black between her fingers. She sighed sharply, sounding as lif she needed something strong to ease her troubles. " Thought things might get better, but the party life ended up being shot down. Just be lucky that you didn't see your sister in battle mode - it's pretty sick. But anyway, about the money thing. " Her tone seemed reluctant to tell Misty, but it was inevitable. " Scott's kinda a drug dealer. "

" _What _?! "

" Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm stupid. Partying and drugs always seem to go together, though, and yet it's made me a real bitch. " Lily smiled sadly, making a quick turn to avoid hitting a fire hydrant. " I even put these gross highlights in my hair. But worst of all, I've been cruel to all of you, and I'm sorry. I've been meaning to get off the juice for awhile now, but this time I mean it. "

By now they had finally were rid of the crazy men and were pulling up into the driveway. Lily's poor driving skills were useful, after all. Misty returned the smile as she stepped out of the car. " Just don't get me in any more of your crazy midnight shenanigans, understand ? "

" Clear as crystal, toots. "

" . . . . . "

* * *

A flash of orange and yellow could be seen pedaling a tomboyish bicycle across the water-biased city of Cerulean. Two plastic bags were hanging from the back of the bike, making rustling sounds as they moved in sync. The wind also added to the noise, blowing happily from north to east at a fast pace, much to the peddler's annoyance. She was already racing against the clock, and now there was wind, and a lot of it. _Only Arceus would mess with Misty Waterflower on a day like this,_ she thought to herself as she made an abrupt stop into a driveway.

Only this time Lily was outside to greet her, smirking. It had been two weeks since Lily had committed back to a life of average sobriety. Life for all of the Waterflowers had gone back to normal, and Lily's highlights were even fading at a steady rate.

She waved at the exhausted girl and snatched the bags from her, clicking her tongue thoughtfully. " Wow. You actually got all of the orders right. Maybe if you behave during dinner I'll give you a cookie. "

Misty glared at her sister and was giggled at rather evilly. Some things would never change, and even though the two sister's relationship was slightly better, Lily was still the worst of the sisters to humiliate and pick on her. Guess Arceus thought that was suitable enough. Still, as both sister's headed inside, Misty smugly thought to herself that there weren't going to be any more black streaks within the family for a long, long time.

End


End file.
